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First-time World Cup qualification for the tiny west African nation was such a great achievement the country?s president declared a national holiday to celebrate.

Former national favourite and Tottenham Hotspur diving enthusiast Jurgen Klinsmann takes control over the next generation of German players who are keen to end 16 years of hurt and win the World Cup for a fourth time on their own soil.

France were required to call on the cavalry to ensure qualification to the finals. Stuck in fourth place in their group, retired veterans Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram returned to the side in an attempt to turn around the fortunes of the failing side.

What else is there to be said about Brazil? They are the only team to have participated in every World Cup finals and are five times winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. They have also finished as runners up twice in 1950 and 1998.

All 32 teams have played one match each as the World Cup has begun in explosive fashion. This is a short round-up of Groups E to H, of the results as they stand after one match.

Following a dismal World Cup four years ago which saw first round elimination, Argentina will look to make a serious impact at this year?s finals.

Tunisia qualified for their third straight finals in dramatic fashion in the final round of fixtures. They needed just a point against arch-rivals Morocco but were trailing 2-1 until Nuremberg midfielder Adel Chadli netted the crucial equaliser 20 minutes from the end.

Those who love soccer will find when the World Cup rolls around, celebration on an international scale is in the air.

After a 32 year absence from the finals, Australia finally overcame their play-off hoodoo to qualify for Germany. Play off agony to Iran in 1997 and Uruguay in 2001 was vanquished last November as the Australians again faced Uruguay and beat them in a penalty shoot-out.

Sweden battled their way through an awkward qualifying group which included Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Iceland and qualified as one of the two best placed runners-up.

We've seen it all before and do the tabloids genuinely believe this is "England's best chance of success"

After almost bowing out at the first hurdle, Angola, the smallest of all the African qualifiers, reached Germany at the expense of traditional powerhouses Nigeria.

Spain, yet again, are tipped as dark horses for the World Cup and 2006 will finally end years of disappointment and this generation of players will fulfil their undoubted potential.

Meticulous practice, an improved sense of controlling the ball and effective use of the multitude soccer skills during a match differentiates players who can play ?better? soccer from average players who can merely ?kick a ball?.

As per usual, Mexico, ranked in the World?s top 10, had an impossibly easy qualifying path to the finals in Germany.

After a disastrous 2002 World Cup, in which they finished bottom of their group following defeats by both the United States and South Korea, Portugal will be looking to finally live up to their potential on the international stage.

After winning four African Cup of Nations titles and producing players of the calibre of Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah, the Black Stars have qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 10 attempts, stretching back to 1962.

Trinidad & Tobago will be looking to cause a few upsets after qualifying for the World Cup finals for the very first time at the eleventh attempt.

The Ivory Coast topped their qualifying group but the margins between success and failure were so intense it came down to a single penalty kick with just four minutes of qualification remaining.

New coach Marco van Basten has proven to be a revelation off the pitch as much as he was on it since taking over the Dutch national team.

Paraguay have qualified for their third successive World Cup finals, but like fellow South American qualifiers Ecuador, their route to Germany was an inconsistent one.

The Czech Republic may be ranked by FIFA as the second best team in the world behind Brazil and the best in Europe but they made hard work of qualifying for the finals.

The USA have a lot to live up to after reaching the quarter finals four years ago but being placed in the ?Group of Death? could see their campaign in Germany fall much shorter.

Croatia enter their third successive finals and will look for a repeat of the heroics of 1998 rather than the embarrassment of 2002.

Following a disastrous 2002 World Cup campaign in which coach Jerzy Engel talked up his side?s prospects only for them to be beaten 2-0 by South Korea and hammered 4-0 by Portugal, Poland will be keen to recreate their former World Cup glories.

All 32 teams have completed the group stage and 16 are preparing for the knockout phase. This is a short round-up of Groups A to D, of the results as they stand after three matches.

Iran?s last appearance in the World Cup, back in 1998, produced a shock 2-1 victory over the United States, in what could have been described as a very diplomatic result.

Italy are the grand masters of heart-breaking tragedy when it comes to major finals. In all three World Cups held in the 1990s, the Italians bowed out on penalties, including Roberto Baggio?s infamous miss against Brazil in the 1994 final.

South Korea shocked the football world four years ago when they beat Italy and Spain to reach the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup.

The World Cup is over for another four years and it was Italy that were crowned World champions. Here is a short round up of the semi final, third and fourth place play off and the final.